Texting and chatting in one place

Whether your friends and family are on their mobile phone or at their computer, you can send them text messages,
Windows Live instant messages, or start a
Facebook chat.

Important:

To chat on Messenger, you need to set up your
Windows Live account first.

To chat over
Facebook, you need to set up your
Facebook account. Also, make sure to turn on
Facebook chat in the
Messaging app's settings.

On the Start screen, tap
Messaging.

If you want to send an instant message over
Windows Live Messenger, set your chat status first, if you haven't done so.

Tap .

Tap , choose a contact, and then tap the contact's phone number, Messenger, or
Facebook to determine how you want to send the message.

Repeat to add more recipients, and their names will be added automatically in the
To box.

Tap the box that says
type a message, and then enter your text.

Tap to send it.

When adding recipients, you can also:

Tap , and then select a contact group. The
Group text option in the app's settings is turned on by default and can help keep replies in one thread when you're texting with a group of people. When it's turned on, replies are sent as multimedia messages instead of text messages.

Begin typing a person's name in the
To box, and then tap a matching contact name. The contact info you choose or enter determines if the message is sent as a text message or instant message over Messenger or
Facebook. Repeat to add more recipients.

Enter a mobile phone number or email address in the
To box. To enter additional recipients, tap Enter after each one.

Setting your chat status

On the Start screen, tap
Messaging.

Tap , and then tap a status.

For example, tap
available to sign in so that your family and friends will see you online in their
Windows Live Messenger.

Tip: You can also set your chat status from the Me card.

After you set your chat status and sign in, you'll see who's online in the
Messaging app. Tap a contact to send the person an instant message.